COMING  TO THEATERS IN 2026 BEFORE A DIGITAL RELEASE.

SAMBA TRAORE

| 1992, re-released in 2026 (Digitally Restored Version) – 85′ – A Burkina Faso/France/Switzerland co-production, Drama, Classics, Co-Produced by France.
Written by: Idrissa Ouedraogo.
Directed by: Idrissa Ouedraogo.
Starring: Mariam Kaba, Bakary Sangaré, Abdoulaye Komboudri, Irène Tassembedo, Moumouni Compaore, Krin Casimir Traore.
In More, Dyula, French with English subtitles.
Official Selection Berlin International Film Festival 1993 (Winner Silver Bear).
A Film Movement release. |

The only surviving accomplice of a gas station robbery gone bad, Samba Traoré flees the scene of the crime with a suitcase full of cash for his native village in rural Burkina Faso. There he attempts to make a fresh start while hiding how he came by his new fortune from those around him. Despite marrying the beautiful Saratou, earning the affection of her ten-year-old son, and opening a bar with his childhood friend, Samba’s newfound happiness is put to the test as he struggles to cope with the moral crisis of his crimes. Considered a masterpiece of West African cinema – and recently named one of the top 10 films of all time in Luca Guadagnino’s Sight and Sound list – Samba Traoré is a “taut study of guilt” (Film Comment), wrestling with both Samba’s desire for redemption and his fear of retribution. Silver Bear-winning filmmaker Idrissa Ouédraogo’s empathetic direction imbues the story with “extraordinary humility” (The New York Times), recognizing in Samba the many contradictions of modern life in Burkina Faso. Samba Traoré was selected for Locarno Heritage Online’s Histoire(s) du Cinéma restoration program.